young, scrappy and hungry | a hamilton story | √

Chapter 44

So much weight seemed to have been taken off Kasey's shoulders. The Alaina situation was solved and she didn't have to worry about screwing up the show. Now, she could just focus on the binders full of American history that she had to know.

Kasey woke up before Carleigh the next morning. After eating an apple and yogurt for breakfast, she grabbed her binder and sat on the couch with a blanket and a mug of chai tea. 

She had to be at the testing site at, coincidentally, the Hamilton call time, so she would be leaving the loft at about the same time as Carleigh. It was a two-show day, so it was bound to be hectic, but she planned on trying to get back to theatre for the second show.

Part of Kasey was comfortable with the test, and part of her was extremely nervous.

She felt ready- Carleigh had quizzed her endlessly and she knew almost everything. She wasn't concerned at all about the American Revolution, but she really wasn't comfortable with the Civil War. She hated learning about it. Something about that time period didn't really speak to her interests.

She did enjoy learning about history from an American perspective. It was refreshing to see what it was like for the victors of the revolution instead of the losers. 

Jace: good luck on your test today Kasey!

Kasey: thanks, jace. have a good show

Jace: if it all goes well maybe we can go watch the force awakens

Kasey: haha sure, just let me know when

Jace: i will

Kasey put her phone away then so she could cram in some last-minute information. She went over the entirety of the Civil War, took a brief glance at World War II, and then she decided to get dressed.

She quickly picked out a pair of light green pants, a pair of gray Toms, a white shirt, and her black blazer. Daveed nicknamed the blazer as Kasey's "politician" blazer, for no apparent reason. 

By the time that Carleigh got up and they had went through more notes, it was time to leave.

Kasey stepped out of the apartment with some trepidation and prepared herself for a long test.

~~~~~~~

A few hours later, Kasey found herself sitting in a bare room, with only a stiff old man and a ticking clock on the wall. 

"This test is the revised version of the citizenship test for the United States of America," the old man read in a monotone voice. "If you are to pass this test, you will then be submitted for possible dual citizenship to the United States. If you fail, you must wait at least three months before trying again. You will have approximately two and a half hours to complete all one hundred and fifty questions. If you need to use the bathroom, signal to the advisor in your testing location and your time will be paused. If you need a drink of water you will be provided one. If you are found to be cheating on this test, your test will be discarded and you will no longer be permitted to submit application for dual citizenship. If you are found to be on your mobile device during any time in this testing window, the same rules apply. Please sign on the dotted line to indicate your understanding of the rules read to you."

Kasey took the pen and signed in loopy handwriting.

"Now your test will begin. Please turn to page one and continue on until you stop seeing the 'go on' arrow at the bottom of your page. Make sure to answer as many questions as you can within the time limit. You may start."

Kasey flipped open the booklet and read the first question.

Who was the first president of the United States?

Easy. George Washington. Kasey's mind briefly turned to Chris Jackson and she smiled slightly before continuing.

Who assassinated John F. Kennedy?

Kasey knew that one, too.

Which countries consisted of the Allied Powers in World War II?

Kasey wrote down the answer quickly. She knew she couldn't stray on any question too long- the time limit was extremely short considering that all the questions were short answer questions.

Explain the details of the Battle of Yorktown, its date, and its significance in the Revolutionary War.

Again, Kasey thought of her Hamilton friends and all of the confidence they had in her. That was reassuring as she wrote 'The Battle of Yorktown began in 1781...'

She could hear the time ticking by as she turned page after page. Some of the questions were difficult, others were simple. One that truly stumped her was

Who was the President of the United States during the American Civil War?

She glanced up at the clock. She had forty-five minutes left. Her friends would be starting act two soon. 

She was to about question 103. She took a deep breath before answering the question and flipping to the next page. 

With only about five minutes, Kasey had answered all of the questions and gone through to check her answers. She stood up and handed the booklet over to the guy.

"Have a nice day," she told him.

He just grunted in response.

Kasey walked out of the room and took a deep breath. There was nothing she could really do about her citizenship test now.